Broadreeds Holiday Camp was first opened in 1934 by Joseph Simons on a 20-acre site at Selsey, West Sussex. It was built in the grounds of a large thatched property known as Broadreeds House, originally constructed by a Mr Anketell.
Unlike most holiday camps of the period, Broadreeds was considered quite luxurious, with heated brick chalets topped by tiled roofs. It was promoted as “the only entirely brick built camp in England.” Each chalet was fitted with hot and cold running water, electricity and Jacobean oak bedsteads. Facilities included a restaurant, dance hall, tennis courts and accommodation for around 350 guests.
Meals were taken communally in a large dining hall, as the camp operated on a full-board basis. The chalets were hotel-style, containing little more than a bed and sink.
With a quarter-mile stretch of sea frontage, coastal erosion and flooding were a constant battle. Over £8,000 was spent during the 1930s installing hundreds of piles driven 18ft deep into the beach.
In January 1939, the camp welcomed the first group of 400 girl refugees, aged between six and sixteen, who had arrived from Germany and Czechoslovakia as part of the Kindertransport rescue effort . The camp was being used as a temporary refuge while longer-term accommodation was arranged, with the girls expected to stay until the end of March.
At the outbreak of the Second World War, Broadreeds was used to house disabled child evacuees from London. Air raid shelters were constructed in the camp by the local council, on behalf of London County Council. Local contractors were upset that the work was not put out to tender – “it is not right that the council should compete against local tradespeople.”
In September 1939 186 pupils and staff arrived from the Lilian Bayliss School in Peckham, with more arriving soon after. The total number soon grew to 450.
Tragedy struck in August 1940 when a German bomb hit the camp, killing four people – two women, a boy and a soldier. The children were quickly evacuated and the site was taken over by the military for the remainder of the war.
During the war years the army invested considerable effort in strengthening the sea defences, bringing in hundreds of tons of rock.
In June 1946 the camp reopened under the management of Norman Simons, Joseph’s son. Not long afterwards, Broadreeds House itself – which had stood on the seafront – was lost to the sea, along with several chalet blocks. In 1952 Simons reported losing 42 feet of land in just two weeks. Substantial concrete sea fences were installed throughout the 1950s and 1960s, with landowners, including the camp, expected to contribute to the costs. Broadreeds alone paid out around £30,000.
Despite these challenges, the camp expanded. In 1958 when permission was granted to extend into an 18-acre field to the north, despite local opposition. While some critics felt the camp was “out of harmony with Selsey’s way of life,” the council judged it a valuable neighbour that contributed jobs, money and resources to the community.
A swimming pool was added in 1960, and in 1962 the camp was purchased by Pontins for £512,000. Ten years later a new ballroom and bar were constructed. By this time the camp could accommodate around a thousand people.
Broadreeds always remained a full-board site. Private bathrooms were gradually added to most of the chalets along with Teasmade machines. A week in August 1972 cost £21.50 per person, rising to £93 ten years later.
In October 1987 Broadreeds was preparing to host a Fred Pontin reunion weekend with the man himself in attendance. However, just two days before, the Great Storm of October 1987 devastated the camp. Roofs were torn off and many buildings were badly damaged. With the reunion hastily moved to Pontins Blackpool, it was soon decided that Broadreeds would not be rebuilt and it closed forever.
In 1988 the camp was sold, along with Pontins South Devon, for £17 million. Most of the site was soon cleared, though it remained unused until 1996 when Prowting Homes began work on a new housing estate. Today, the estate is centred around Pacific Way and Lifeboat Way.
In 2012 a memorial was erected on the seashore to honour the four people who lost their lives in the 1940 bombing. In 2025 a plaque was unveiled to commemorate the role the camp played during the Kindertransport rescue effort.
To read more about Sir Fred Pontin and the history of Pontins Holiday Camps read our blog post here. We’ve also covered the history of several other Pontin camps which can be seen in our A-Z blog index.
We’d love to hear your stories and memories of Broadreeds. Please feel free to leave a comment below.
